Chapter 55
Chapter 55
Just imagining Sylvia becoming her mom and taking her out to play every day made Irene so excited. But soon, she hesitated and asked, “But what about Mommy?”
She really liked Sylvia, but it wasn’t like she hated having Stella look after her. Honestly, she really missed Stella taking care of her these days.
Before, coming home meant Stella was there for her, looking after everything. But now, when Irene came back, there was nobody except for Betty and the other servants.
The feeling of loneliness-lying alone in the big bed at night-made Irene feel sad, and she never wanted to experience that again.
Michael didn’t know what was going on in Irene’s mind. When he heard her question, he laughed and teased, “Your mom? Isn’t Sylvia basically your mom now? You can’t have two moms.”
“I don’t mean Ms. Jansen,” Irene said, trying to clarify.
“Oh, I see,” Michael said with a sly grin, teasing her even more. “But weren’t you always complaining about Stella? Now that she’s finally leaving, suddenly you don’t want her to go?”
“I…” Irene hesitated, words caught in her throat. She wanted to say that she didn’t want Stella to leave, but she didn’t want Sylvia to misunderstand either.
But she didn’t know if her mom would still take care of her, so Irene couldn’t make up her mind at that moment.
Seeing Irene hesitate, Sylvia’s confident smile faded, and her gaze grew a little complicated as she looked at the girl.
“Alright, stop messing with her. Can’t you see Irene’s about to cry?” Sylvia said, gathering her into her arms. Irene buried her face against Sylvia, looking completely miserable.
Without anyone really noticing, Stella’s absence had quietly shifted some things. If this were before, Irene wouldn’t have had a second thought-she would’ve picked Sylvia.
“It’s my fault,” Michael said, rubbing his nose, a bit sheepish. “Come on, don’t stay mad, Irene. Next time I’ll buy you a present to make up for it.”
“But you still haven’t told me what’s going to happen to Mom,” Irene’s voice came out small and uncertain.
“She’s leaving you all, obviously,” Michael blurted out.
“Michael!” Sylvia snapped, shooting him a glare, making him instantly shut up.
Then she turned to Irene, still cradled in her arms. “Irene, don’t pay attention to what Uncle Michael says, okay? Your mom isn’t going anywhere.”
Irene didn’t reply-she was completely lost in what Michael had said, unable to stop thinking about it.
‘If Mom leaves, does that mean she’ll never be there for me again?’ Irene thought. She couldn’t shake off that wave of fear.
“Daddy!” Irene called out, reaching out to him without worrying about how Sylvia might feel.
Ernest gathered her into his arms, and Irene asked in a soft, choked voice, “If Mom really leaves, does that mean she won’t take care of me anymore?” Latest content published on
Before Ernest could answer, the door to the private room opened, and Simon walked in, looking somewhat gloomy, unsure whether he was disappointed or just upset.
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Chapter 55
“Where is she? Didn’t you say you were going to get Stella here?” Michael asked.
Everyone turned to Simon, but Irene’s gaze was the most eager, her eyes full of hope.
“What am I supposed to do if she won’t come?” Simon replied, his tone a little sharp. The conversation had started off fine, but as soon as he mentioned inviting her over, Stella’s face immediately turned cold.
Simon blamed what others had done in the past, thinking that if it weren’t for that, he wouldn’t be caught up in this mess.
Michael shot back, not taking it lying down. “If she doesn’t wanna come, then fine. We’re not desperate for her, so why are you taking it out on us?”
“Can’t I just be mad right now?” Simon snapped. He was never the calm type to begin with, and now with Stella shutting him. down, he was feeling even more sour. One poke from Michael, and he lost it.
“Just because you’re mad doesn’t mean you can unload on us,” Michael shot back.
Yeah Tin taking it out on you. So what?” Simon fired back. They started bickering right away.
Sylvia watched them, feeling irritated.
Ernest, though, just glanced at Simon while holding Irene, his face totally calmed from start to finish. It was as if Stella-the cause of all this tension-didn’t even affect him.
“Daddy.” Irene whimpered, fat tears rolling down her cheeks, her whole body shaking with helpless sobs. “Does Mom really
pot want to take care of me anymore?”
parse not,” Ernest said gently, brushing away her tears.
Irene tesl
e sobbed, hiccupping. “If Mom knew where I was before, she’d always come find me right away. But this time, she
пр.
n had been ignoring her, the fear that she might lose her mom’s care-it was just overwhelming, leaving lly lost.
Right now, Irene desperately wanted to hear someone reassure her that her mom loved her most and valued her the most, as if hearing those words would make her mom return to the way she used to be.
But Ernest didn’t say any of that. His tone was just as calm as always. “Maybe your mom’s caught up with something right now. When she’s done, she’ll probably come see you.”
“Really?” Irene asked hopefully.
Ernest replied, “Maybe.”
Still not getting a real answer, the worry just wouldn’t go away. She squirmed free from his arms and dashed outside-she just had to ask herself.
When she came back, she was sobbing even louder. “Daddy, you lied. Mom never told me she’d come for me when she was done. She just left-she didn’t want to see me at all.”
“I’m not going,” Stella said, her voice cold and detached. The streetlights cast a pale glow over her face, making her look calm, almost indifferent.
If someone else were watching, they’d probably think she was a bad mother-she was so distant from her own daughter.
But Jeremy knew better than anyone what Stella had been through those years and how hard her life had been, and he also
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knew how much Irene used to despise Stella.
So when Jeremy saw how cold Stella acted towards Irene, he was a bit taken aback, but he knew enough not to dwell on it. “Alright, let’s go. I’ll take you home,” Jeremy said.
“Okay,” Stella replied.
They got in the car and drove off, not knowing that shortly after they left, Ernest and the others ended up leaving on bad terms as well.
**
The urgent sound of the phone echoed in the quiet room. Irene was calling again, her third call tonight. But Stella didn’t
answer.
It wasn’t until she had finished getting ready for bed, her exhaustion fading, that Stella finally answered the call.
Right away, Irene’s little voice burst out, crying: “Mommy, where are you? Why haven’t you come home yet?”
#
It sounded so pitiful that anyone’s heart would soften, but Stella barely felt anything.
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Just like when Irene used to glare at her, complaining and wishing for Sylvia to be her mom instead, Stella no longer had any extra feelings. She had stopped hoping for things that would never happen.